Shoe



i Patented Sept. 20, 1927.

UNITED sTATEs l y 41,642,737 PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK H. MARTIN, 0F AKRON, OHIO,

ASSIGNOB TO THE B. F. GOODRICH COM- SHOE.

Application led February 27, 1923. Serial No. 621,545.

This invention relates principally to boots and shoes having a shield or tongue of the folding bellows type secured at both edges to the edges of the upper, and its main object isto provide a shoe of this type particularly adapted for use as a high-topped over'slioe, having agood fit at the ankle and elsewhere, with a quick-operating fastener employing a slidefor actuating two rows of locking elements attached to the respective edges of the upper.

High-topped overshoes heretofore have commonly been of the style known as galoshes, the fasteners of which are in the form of buckles, which are unsightly, operate, and do not give a close-fitting shoe While fasteners of the slide or hookless type, such as I have herein substituted for the buckles, have been used on other articles, they have never, so far as I am aware, prior to my invention been successfully employed as the principal or only fastener on bellowstongue footwear.

Of the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing av practical embodiment of my improved shoe.

Fig. 2 is Aa partial cross-section thereof. Fi 3 is a front elevation of a portion of the fstener.

In the drawings, 1()v is Vthe top portion or upper of the shoe, 11 the rubber sole, and 12 the rubber foxing above the sole. The upper is preferably made of cloth and comprises an external portion or facing 13 of suitable material such as knitted jersey cloth and a heavily napped lining 14 cemented to said facing.

15 is a bellows form of closed tongue or shield folded in the usual manner and secured at its two edges to the mar 'ns of the upper atl. some distance back rom their edges, solas completely to close the opening between said edges which,in this instance, I have shown at the front of the shoe.

' The quick-acting fastener may be any sui able one of the slide type and is here shown as including two rows of interlocking metal members 16 cupped and pointed at their free ends and secured to the corded edges 17 of a pair of cloth tapes or stringers 18, together with a cam slide 19 having inner and outer plates embracing the members 16, and a finger tab riil 20 for operating said slide 19 so that it can draw either on the upper or lower end of the latter, there also being a difficult to pair of stops 22 at the upper end of the rows of locking elements to limit the movement of the slide. y

It is very essential that the slide 19 sha-ll have free movement on the rows of locking elements throughout its ent-ire ran e without interference by any part ofthe s oerupper i or tongue. I have discovered `that this object can best be accomplished by shaping said tongue to conform to the wearers ankle in order that no wrinkles shall be thrown into the path of the slide as it passes the ankle, and further by so locating and constructing the attachment. of the edges of the tongue to the margins of the upper as to insure a free passage to the slide at all points.

The shaping of the tongue may be accomplished in any suitable manner. I have here shown a practical way of doing this by slitting or cutting openings 23 in, and on both sides of, the two inner folds 25 of the tongue at the ankle and holding the edges of said openings apart by means of two pairsL of inner and outer cemented cloth gussets 26, 27. This effectually prevents the formation of any substantial wrinkle in the tongue.

To further facilitate the free movement of the slide 19 and at the same time provide a neat, close-fitting structure, the inner edge of each of the Stringer tapes 18 is inserted between the edges of the `facing 13 and the lining 14 of the upper and the edge of the tongue 15 is likewise so inserted and tted between the Stringer tape and the lining, all of said parts being firmly cemented together and, if desired, secured by additional means such as stitching although the latter 1s not essential.

The shoe may further as here shown be provided around its top edge with a turneddown cuff 28, having flaps 29, 30 at its ends adapted to cover the slide 19 in the topmost position of the latter, and provided with complemental members 31, 32 of a snap fastener, but this cuff in some instances is omitted.

I claim:

1. A high-topped shoe having an upper provided with meeting edges secured together by two rows of interlocking elements operated by a longitudinally-movable cam slide which passes the ankle portion of the shoe in its openingand closing movements, and a. folded bellows-tongue secured at both of itsedges to the marginal portions of the l upper, said tongue being shaped at the 1U elements actuated b ankle on both sides of the path of said slide and presenting a uniform, integral, continuous surface under said path, thro-ughout .the length thereof 'to permit free passage of said slide.

2. A high-topped shoe having an upper provided with edges meeting in frontY and secured together by va fastener of the type employing two rows of interlocking elements, and a slide which passes the ankle portion of the lshoe in moving from its locking to its unlocking position, and a folded bellows-tongue secured at both of its edges to the margins of said upper and shapedat the ankle by means of openings cut therein across the two inner folds of the tongue, and having their edges held apart by gussets to insure free passage of the slide without obstruction by wrin ling of the tongue at the ankle. f.

3. A shoe comprising an upper composed of an outer facing and a lining and provided with meeting ed es secured together by two rows of interloc ing elements, a. cam slide movable longitudinally of said edges and a pair of stringer tapes supporting said locking. elements and having their edges inserted between the edges of the outer facinand lining of the upper, together with a bellowst-ongue havin its two edges secured on the inner sides of said tapes lbetween the latter and the lining at a distance back of the rows of interlocking elements, to permitir'ee movement of the slide.

4. A high-topped shoe comprising an upper coin osed of an outer facing and a 1ining, an provided with-meeting edges secured together by two rows of interlockin a camslide movable past the ankle portion of the shoe, and a pair of Stringer tapes supporting said locking elements andy secured between the edges of said facing and lining of the upper, to-

gether with a bellows-tongue shaped to avoid wrinkling at the ankle and having its edges secured between said lining andfacing, at a distance back of the rows of fastening elements, to provide free passage to said slide. I -f 5. A high topped shoe having the ies of the upper secured together by two rows of interlocking elements, a cam slide ada ted to move longitudinally along said rows o interlocking e ements for closing andV opening the ies, a bellows tongue secured to the marginal portions of the flies and reversely folded contiguous to its positions of attachment to the upper, whereby the median portion of the tongue is held away from the interlocking members when the latter are closed, to permit the slide to move with relative freedom along the interlocking elements.

6. A shoe comprising an upper formed with an expansion opening, means secured to the marginal edges of the flies of said openthe margins defining the latter,

ing for effecting a substantially continuous joinder thereof, said means including inter-- lockinor elements operated by a cam slide, and atbelloWs-tongue underlying said opening and secured to said upper,said bellowstongue being reversely folded on lines paralleling and spaced from the marginal edges of the respective ies to relieve the pressure contact between the joinder means and the tongue.

7. A shoe comprising an upper formed with an expansion opening, means secured to the marginal edges of the respective iliesof said opening for effecting a substantially continuous joinder thereof, said means including interlocking elements operated b a longitudinally-movable cam slide, and a ellowstongue secured to the upper adjacent to said marginal edges and comprising means for holding the interlocking members out of pressure Contact with said tongue during the opening and closing of said expansion' openmgt 8. A shoe comprising an upper formed with an expansion opening, means joinedto the marginal edges of the respective flies of said opening for effecting a substantially continuous joinder thereof, said means including interlocking elements operated by a cam slide, and a bellows-tongue underlyin said opening and attached to said upper an comprising means for sustaining the inward pressure of the joinder means during opening and closing.

y 9.` A high-topped overshoe comprising an upper formed with a front expansion opening, the marginal edges defining said openg ing substantially meeting throughout the length of the expansion opening and being secured together by two rows of interlocking elements operated by a longitudinallymovable cam slide, and shielding means underlying the said interlocking elements and adapted to 4facilitate the movements of the cam slide throughout the length of the expansion opening, the said shielding means comprising a folded closure member for the expansion opening secured, to at least one of throughout the length thereof, the fold of the said closure member causing the part thereof which underlies the interlocking elements to be readily spaced apart from the latter for the passage of the slide.

10. Ahigh-topped overshoe comprising an upper formed with a front expansion opening, the marginal edges defining said opening substantially meeting in a flat edge-t0- edge union, and securedtogether by two rows of interlocking elements operated by a longitudinally-movable cam slide,v a pair of Stringer tapes supporting said interlocking elements and secured to the upper and constituting said marginal edges, and a bellows tongue having its edges secured to the upper lio at a distance back of said rows of interlocking elements, each Stringer tape constituting a exible wall of such substantial dimension between the bellows tongue and the interlocking elements as to permit the interlocking elements to be brought by the slide into.

interlocked relation without pressure contact ,of the slide against the bellows tongue.

l1., A. high-topped overshoe of waterproof construction comprising a lower portion having a rubber exterior and an upper portion made of water-resistant fabric, the upper portion being formed with a front expansion opening havlng its marginal edges substantially meeting in a flat, edge-to-edge union, means for securing together said marginal edges including two rows of interlocking elements operated by a longitudinally-movable cam slide, and a bellows ton ue of waterresistant fabric underlying sai opening and attached to said upper to vform a water-tight closure of said expansion opening, the bellows tongue being so constructed and ar- -ranged that its zone underlying the path of ciably elastic and substantially waterproof^ construction and having its upper formed with an expansion opening, a bellows tongue underlying the opening and attached to the upper, and means for el'ectin a continuous,

flat,4 edge-to-edge union of t e margins of the upper at the expansion opening, the said means comprising a row of interlocking elements secured at each margin of the opening to the upper and a cam slide engaging the elements of both rows and movable longitudinally thereon to; lock and vtb unlock said elements.I

lin witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20 day of February, i923.

FREDERICK H. MARTIN. 

